Our Week in the Forest...

It has been a lovely first week back as we have heard all about the Little Forest Folk-er’s wonderful time with their family and friends. It was amazing to watch as the children talked to each other about what they had done over their winter break. Some children talked about how they had been on aeroplanes and had been to the beach for a Christmas break. Others talked about their siblings’ birthdays and how old each member of their family is! Everyone came back full of positivity launching us into 2019 with gusto!

The children this week wowed us with their creativity and independence. Many children have been climbing to new heights and developing their climbing skills in the trees! They have been setting their own goals and making their own risk assessments. In one particular tree the children have been teaching each other how to stretch across a gap to reach over to another tree. The children who have recently learnt pass down their knowledge carefully and monitor the situation carefully to make sure their friends don’t have any accidents. Once in the trees, the children set up an ice-cream shop and a coffee shop selling cappuccinos! They used their imaginations to develop a system for buying their products and thought it was hilarious when the educators came to buy their produce.

Another fantastic role-play moment this week happened not on top of the trees but underneath them! The children worked seamlessly together to set up a waiting room, kitchen and diner! Using just one pot the children decided as a group that they were going to make Spaghetti Bolognese, sponge pudding and a cake with jelly on top! They gathered ingredients following each other’s instructions and made some wonderful dishes to be sold in the restaurant.

The children have also engaged in lots of fine motor activities with more and more children wanting to paint, cut and draw in the forest and back in our indoor space during the evenings. Some children have recently learnt how to write their name with an ever increasing amount of control and they proudly showed their work to friends, staff and family alike. Others have shown a very steady hand as they cut card using scissors and stuck the small pieces to their own collage creations.

We’ve had a great start to the New Year and we’re very excited for the adventures that 2019 will bring!